I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to carriers for tape cassettes and/or cartridges and, more particularly, to such a carrier which is both detachably and pivotally mounted to the interior of a vehicle passenger compartment.
II. Description of the Prior Art
There are a plurality of previously known carriers for magnetic tape cartridges and tape cassettes, hereinafter some times collectively referred to as tape packages for brevity. These previously known carriers typically comprise a housing with receiving means in the housing for the receipt of a plurality of tape packages. A lid is oftentimes secured to the housing in order to selectively provide access into the interior of the housing and thus to the tape packages contained therein.
These previously known tape carriers, however, are disadvantageous in several different respects. First, such carriers are often placed behind the driver's seat, on the front floor, or at some other location which is difficult for the driver of the vehicle to reach during vehicle operation. Consequently, in order to obtain the desired tape package from the carrier, the drivers often fumble with the previously known carriers and, in doing so, look at the carrier, rather than the road, for relatively long periods of time. This, of course, results in a hazardous driving condition.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known tape carriers is that such carriers have been heretofore designed for only one type of tape package, i.e. tape cassettes or tape cartridges. The different types of tape packages, of course, vary in size from each other. These previously known carriers are incapable of either alternatively or simultaneously carrying different types of tape packages such that a different carrier is required for each different type of tape package. This solution, however, is unnecessarily expensive and cumbersome.
Further, to my knowledge, a detachable combination tape package carrier and Citizen's band radio carrier has not heretofore been provided.